Starbucks to shut over 8,000 US cafes for race training

Coffee chain Starbucks is to close more than 8,000 company-owned branches in the US for an afternoon next month to carry out “racial bias” training.

The aim is to prevent discrimination in Starbucks stores.

The move comes after the firm had to apologise over last week’s arrest of two black men who were waiting to meet someone in a Starbucks in Philadelphia.

Following the incident, protesters converged on the store and there were calls for a boycott of Starbucks.

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Starbucks’ chief executive Kevin Johnson said he had been “learning what we did wrong and the steps we need to take to fix it”.

Mr Johnson said he had spent the last few days in Philadelphia. He has also met the two men who were arrested.

In a joint statement the men’s lawyer and Starbucks said their discussions had been “constructive”.

Mr Johnson apologised on behalf of the company and the conversation was continuing about how this “painful incident can become a vehicle for positive social change”, the statement added.

All Starbucks company-owned branches and corporate offices will be closed on the afternoon of Tuesday 29 May.

Nearly 175,000 staff will receive the training, as will all future recruits.

The closure could cost an estimated $20m in lost sales.

“Closing our stores for racial bias training is just one step in a journey that requires dedication from every level of our company and partnerships in our local communities,” said Mr Johnson.

As part of its damage-limitation effort, the company has asked civil rights leaders and officials including former US Attorney General Eric Holder for help in developing a “curriculum” for staff, which it will make available to other companies.